Joseph-Elzéar Bernier (; January 1, 1852 – December 26, 1934) was a mariner from

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who led expeditions into the

Canadian Arctic Northern Canada (), colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada, variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories a ...

in the early 20th century. He was born in L'Islet,

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, the son of Captain Thomas Bernier and Célinas Paradis. At the age of 14, he became a cabin boy on his father's ship. Three years later, he became captain of his own ship and commanded sailing ships for the next 25 years. Bernier was named governor for the jail at

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

in 1895. From 1904 to 1911, he explored the

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on annual voyages in his ship the CGS ''Arctic'' and officially claimed the islands for Canada. Bernier retrieved documents that had been stored in caches by earlier

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

explorers. He also established

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posts in the

. During

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, Bernier commanded a ship which transported mail along the eastern coast and carried goods in convoys across the

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. He returned to patrolling the arctic after the war's end, continuing until his retirement in 1925, when he was awarded the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

Back Award The Back Award, also referred to as the Back Grant, was first given by the Royal Geographical Society in 1882 for "applied or scientific geographical studies which make an outstanding contribution to the development of national or international pub ...

. Historian and expert on northern sovereignty, Michael Byers noted that Bernier placed a plaque on Melville Island in 1909 that claimed

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over not only the entire

but also a wedge of the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...

"from longitude 60°W to 141°W up to latitude 90°N," all the way to the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

. Byers characterized the claim as an articulation of sector theory and noted how diplomats had widely rejected Russia's claims to a wedge of the Arctic extending to the North Pole. Bernier died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

Lévis Lévis () is a city in eastern Quebec, Canada, located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, opposite Quebec City. A ferry links Old Quebec with Old Lévis, and two bridges, the Quebec Bridge and the Pierre-Laporte Bridge, connect we ...

at the age of 82. He published ''Master Mariner and Explorer: A Narrative of Sixty Years at Sea ...'' in 1939. Joseph Idlout's daughter, Leah Idlout, said that her father was the son of Bernier. It is thought that Idlout may have been the only son of Bernier. Bernier and his northern expeditions are featured on pages 12 and 13 of the 36-page

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In popular culture

Québécois actor

Rémy Girard Rémy Girard (born August 10, 1950) is a Canadian actor and former television host from Quebec.Gaetan Charlebois"Girard, Rémy" ''Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia'', December 5, 2023. Early life Born in Jonquière, he is the son of politician Fern ...

portrays Bernier in "The Big Chill" (January 18, 2016), episode 10 of season 9, of the

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period drama ''

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''.

References

''Joseph Bernier, the Arctic Islands for Canada'', Pathfinders and Passageways: The Exploration of Canada, Library and Archives Canada

''Joseph Elzéar Bernier (1852-1934)'', Arctic profiles, University of Calgary
(pdf)

External links

Entry from the Canadian Encyclopedia

''Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia'' (2003)
Mills, William James

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernier, Joseph-Elzear 1852 births 1934 deaths Canadian explorers Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Fellows of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society